Grass-roots bid pays off as redistricting plan fails

Residents win again

KIM CANON, Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle

Published 5:30 am, Thursday, June 21, 2001

Spring Branch residents have again proven that an organized grass-roots effort can derail the undesirable.

A proposal that would have split Spring Branch into two city council districts was defeated last week, largely due to a community uprising. The victory was reminiscent of residents' successful fight against a proposed grease-recycling plant earlier this year.

After a prolonged battle, a state agency in February ruled against a company's bid to build the grease-recycling center in a Spring Branch neighborhood. Residents feared that such a facility would lower property values and produce more traffic and noise.

In opposing the plan to alter city council districts, the residents' victory was relatively easier and quicker. However, residents again united to protect the interests of their neighborhood.

The plan was killed by a 10-5 council vote. Mayor Lee Brown voted in favor of the measure.

"I am glad this didn't split Spring Branch," Tatro said. "It would have put out a bad message to everyone that the City Council is gerrymandering districts."

Other precinct reshufflings were proposed, such as moving two voting precincts from District H to District A, but none sparked such public protest as the Spring Branch proposal.

Tatro opposed the measure at the council's June 5 meeting. He tagged the proposal -- putting it on hold for one week -- and met with neighborhood groups to inform them of the plan's possible consequences.

In a letter sent through various e-mail networks, Tatro claimed the plan was not acceptable on many fronts because it splits Spring Branch and many neighborhoods, and draws "more population from District A than is necessary."

Tatro said the plan's reconfigured boundaries were "drawn with racial motivations." He was referring to the proposed movement of 21,000 Hispanic residents from his district to Vasquez's district, which already has a majority Hispanic population.

"A community of interest based on racial boundaries is not a community of interest," Tatro said.

Vasquez said the boundary lines he proposed were "drawn in accordance with the Voting Rights Act."

District A is the most populous district in the city, he said, and neighboring districts B and H are the least populated. Because the B and H cannot "trade among themselves," they had to reach into District A to raise resident numbers.

Opposition to the amendment began to grow at a Spring Branch super neighborhood meeting on June 7, when Tatro talked about the redistricting issue.

Neighborhood leaders fired a round of e-mails encouraging Spring Branch residents to call council members and urge them to vote against the proposal.

Linda Richey, president of the Old Spring Branch Civic Association, also urged residents to speak out at a June 12 forum, held the day before the regular City Council meeting.

That day, a group of about 50 residents boarded a bus donated by the Spring Branch Memorial Hospital and made their voices heard before the council.

Joseph Melchiode, the hospital's vice president of operations, was the first to speak about the issue.

"I am here to voice support for the Spring Branch community not being divided into multiple city council districts," Melchiode said. "The hospital is involved with the (three) super neighborhoods, and there is a tremendous level of organization and commitment focused on the Spring Branch community. Division through redistricting would dilute this voice."

Several residents argued that the neighborhood's spirit of community had been developed over several decades, and its inclusion in a single council district helped residents work together toward common goals, such as lobbying for street reconstruction projects and beautification efforts.

"I have lived in this area for 50 years and have seen our neighborhood go down, and we are trying to build it back," Spring Branch resident Judy Gentry said. "We are a closely knit neighborhood."

"It is detrimental for two reasons," Williams said. "One, none of the authors ever contacted our board about the amendment. Two, the proposal materially affects the district and its spirit of community. Such a proposal should have involved members of the community."

As for the race issue, residents argued the community's diverse racial character is one of its biggest assets and does not necessarily divide the neighborhood.

"Diversity has helped us in working together," Spring Branch resident David Hart said. "We have Hispanic members in our (Ridgecrest) civic club and have organized neighborhood cleanups involving members of several ethnic groups."

In response to the failed measure, Vasquez said, "The public had an opportunity to express viewpoints, and we heard and listened. Some precincts would have been better represented in District H but we heard the public's voice and moved on."